Abstract

Large-scale deployment of low-power sensing and computing units calls for unique power management solutions to overcome the inconvenience, costs, and waste problems associated with batteries. Energy harvesting offers an exciting solution to the battery problem, enabling circuits that can power themselves on-site from available ambient energy. Magnetic energy harvesters (MEHs), configured as current transformers, extract energy from the magnetic fields surrounding current-carrying power lines. As maximum power harvest occurs when a magnetic core is on the verge of saturation or saturated to some degree, modeling of magnetic energy harvesters is inherently difficult and nonlinear. This article proposes generalized analytical methods for modeling magnetic energy harvester behavior and validates these methods along with existing circuit model techniques. Intuition for core saturation behavior is presented and agreement with existing models is discussed. The analysis is motivated by addressing the feasibility of a split core magnetic energy harvester to power a microcontroller unit, and the models are experimentally validated for multiple harvester cores.

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.